A Twist In Fate
by Hitoezakura
Summary: When Aoshi sets his heart on murdering Battousai, he decides to question the inhabitants of the Kamiya Dojo for the location of his enemy. However, what would have happened had Megumi and Yahiko left, and had it been Kaoru in the dojo? [Kyoto arc, AK]
1. Prologue: First Meeting

**Disclaimer - Ahh...Kenshin is mine for the taking...  
Aoshi - Really?  
(The sound of kodachis unsheathing fills the air)  
Hitoezakura - Kenshin is Nohiburo Watsuki's! Calm down Aoshi!**

**Hitoezakura now wonders whether this is a good time to start yet another story – she's on the verge of AP Exams, and yet, she feels compelled to start it.**

**Then she decides, what the heck? She'll start it anyways.**

**Alright, so let me clear up things. This is actually the first time I am completely tampering with the storyline of Rurouni Kenshin (well, somewhat tampering) by starting a story in the Kyoto arc (well, a little before it, but you get the point!)**

**So, this story is actually based on one small twist. What if Megumi had been unable to convince Kaoru to leave her bed after Kenshin's departure? Naturally, out of concern, Megumi would join Yahiko so that the ten-year-old wouldn't have to make the journey alone, and she of course would want to make sure that Kenshin is safe. So the story is based on that tiny twist. And if you do recall, the dojo receives a special visitor after Kaoru and Yahiko left in the actual version…  
But let's just leave it at that…**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy the prologue, and I hope you'll enjoy the story that follows!**

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**A TWIST IN FATE**

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**Prologue

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**

The noise in the ballroom slowly dissipated as the footsteps of Himura Kenshin, Myoujin Yahiko, and Sagara Sanosuke retreated, hurrying to the observatory to rescue Takani Megumi from her prison. A dead silence reigned in the room, but unlike the silence, not all the men in the room were dead. One man remained standing, his white trench coat hanging limply on his sagging shoulders, his black bangs shadowing his eyes and the furious grief that swirled in the icy blue orbs. Blood decorated the floor in splatters, decorated the white trench coat with crimson streaks, and filled the air with a metallic, unbearable stench. Amidst that blood were four men, bullet holes strewn all over their bodies, indicating that the bullets from the Gatling gun standing in the entrance had savagely ripped through the flesh and bone of the fallen men.

Shinomori Aoshi's grief was unbearable as he stared at the men he had treated like his own family, the men that had faithfully followed his every order, the men that sacrificed their lives to save their injured Okashira. The scent of their blood mingled with the scent of his in the lonely and abandoned room as one man wallowed in the grief, suffering the loss of his comrades and dearest friends. The ice blue eyes suddenly shone with unshed tears as one by one, he replayed the deaths of his comrades as each one dove to protect him from the Gatling gun, as each one dedicated their last words to him, their Okashira, the man who was supposed to protect them from danger.

_I brought you here so that the name of the Oniwabanshuu could reclaim glory, so that you would not be left behind in the dust as the Oniwabanshuu slowly dissipated, so that you could gain a career…_

_All you have gained is death…_

_What was the point of bringing you here?_

_Battousai…the man they called the strongest, the man who defeated me, the man who took advantage of Hanya's death…you will not escape my hands this time. I shall surely kill you._

_Only then will my men rest at peace – when the title, the flower of the strongest is bestowed upon their dead bodies…when the Oniwabanshuu are recognized for their loyalty, power, strength, and indestructible spirit._

_Mark my words Battousai…take them seriously._

_I shall surely come for you._

The sound of the police whistles suddenly pierced the silence, causing the sheen of tears to disappear in annoyance and fury. Aoshi could hear the whistles and the calls of the policemen growing louder by the minute, and he knew that Battousai and his little posse must have rescued Megumi by now. Escape was the only method out of this situation.

_But I cannot leave my men behind…I cannot let them soak in their blood…I am their leader, and I will arrange for a burial of sorts!_

_But I cannot let them face the shame of being treated with hands that don't care for them, being buried or cremated by hands that have never known their loyalty, faithfulness, and strength…_

Aoshi unsheathed one of his kodachi and one by one, he cut through the flesh of his friends, severing each head from their body as the kodachi sank into the soft skin and muscle of the neck and sliced through the bone. The pools of blood increased, but Aoshi could not take notice in them any longer. He quickly sheathed his kodachi, grasped all four heads by their hair, two in each hand, and scanned the ballroom for the quickest escape.

_The woman will immediately remember Kanryuu's secret passage through the ceiling…but it will take her a decent amount of time to recall that Kanryuu also has a secret passage through the attic…_

_That shall be enough time to escape._

Aoshi stealthily moved towards the attic, walking past the blank and dull walls of the dark attic until he finally pushed his way out through the doors of the entrance and found himself in the forest behind the house. He pushed past the rogue branches and stealthily climbed the wall, the heads still in his hands. Just as he managed to reach the top of the wall and stood up, ready to leap down from the wall and enter the entanglement of trees, he heard the sounds of the policemen combing the area he had just exited.

"The door's open. He did come through here." Megumi's voice rang out even in the wind, clearly recognizable to Aoshi.

_If the doctor is here, that mean's Battousai is here too…_

_I shall tell him that I have a score to settle with him…_

Aoshi turned, standing at his full height, glaring down at the troops, carefully watching Kenshin's gaze until it met his and widened in surprise. He noted that the rest of the policemen were also staring at him in fright as their gaze drifted to the bloody heads that he held by strands of their hair.

"What are you doing? Arrest him!" yelled the Police Chief, but he suddenly found himself on the ground, knocked down by Sanosuke.

"Not so fast" muttered Sanosuke. "You'll all just be killed."

Sanosuke's gaze suddenly met Aoshi's, staring at him undaunted from his post on the ground.

"It's not your fault. That Gatling gun – what could you have done?" asked Sanosuke.

_I could have protected them…_

"But they were happy to do it."

_How could they be happy in death when they received no glory?_

"The Oniwabanshuu died to let you live."

_If they made such a big sacrifice, then why should I not decorate their graves with the blood of Battousai, the last enemy they fought?_

Suddenly, Kenshin's voice rang out through the silence.

"Aoshi. If you really cannot forgive yourself, let us fight, one more time…"

Aoshi glanced down to see Sanosuke, Megumi and Yahiko start in shock, but he kept his stare fixated on Kenshin.

"Fight, and then win. Take the words "most powerful" to those four's graves" explained Kenshin, his own eyes fierce as he stared up at Aoshi.

_Most powerful…they deserve that title…_

"Battousai."

Kenshin's gaze remained fixated on Aoshi.

"Until I come kill you…don't let anyone beat me to it."

_Because I shall deliver that title…and you shall not live…_

With a leap, he took off into the dark roads, ignoring the cries of the policemen behind him. He ran hurriedly, rushing to find the cold and dark refuge of the forests. However, an unusual scene caught his attention, and he halted for a brief moment, bathed in the shadows, save for his shining, ice blue eyes that protruded from the darkness.

His eyes were focused on a young woman wrestling with bandages on her doorstep. He glanced down at her fingers to see them bleeding, swollen, cracked, and basically mangled, which led him to wonder exactly what she had been doing. However, just as she wrapped her last finger, she suddenly glanced upward in his direction and stood up in surprise, her eyes fixated on his.

And for a moment, time stood still.

Inquisitive sapphire blue eyes locked on to ice blue eyes as she slowly came forward, her long ponytail swaying with each step, clenching her bandaged fingers in concern. The bandages were still clenched in her fist, and she inched towards him, concern etched on her face.

And then he suddenly heard the voices of Kenshin, Megumi, Sanosuke, and Yahiko from the distance. He immediately disappeared into the shadows, stealthily making his way into the forest, leaving the girl dumbfounded, standing in front of the doorway of her dojo in confusion.

However, before he could disappear completely, he heard the words "Welcome back!" echo through the air, greeted by Kenshin's cheerful "We're home!"

_So…she is the girl who is housing the Battousai and his comrades…_

His eyes turned into ice once again as he thought of his nemesis before disappearing into the dark forests, searching for the right patch of ground to bury his dead friends.

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**Alright...so first comes the prologue...**

**But I will add a chapter someday soon!**

**And perhaps I should work on my other fics eventually too...**

**Anyways, please review!**


	2. Chapter 1: Lost In Thought

**Hitoezakura - I guess there's no use in hiding the truth from all of you. Yes, it is true - I am the true owner of Rurouni Kenshin!  
Crickets chirp in the silence  
Aoshi - Where are my kodachi?  
Hitoezakura - Alright, so I don't own the series. It belongs to Nohiburo Watsuki...happy Aoshi?  
Aoshi - Immensely **

Anyways, how long has it been since I've updated? Let's not go there...

**So Kaoru and Aoshi met (once), and now, let's see what happened afterwards, when Kenshin told Kaoru the story of the battle, and when Aoshi disappeared into the forest...**

**Happy reading!**

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**A TWIST IN FATE**

**Chapter One - Lost In Thought**

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Kaoru carefully placed her wooden sword back onto its holding rack and patted her forehead with her small hand towel, wiping away the sweat that had accumulated from her practice. She gathered her yukata and a few fresh towels before making her way to the bath, ready to soak in the hot water and find some time to think about the situation in peace and quiet.

Wafts of steam rose from the surface into the air as Kaoru stepped into the hot bath, sighing as the water washed over her body, alleviating her tension and stress slightly. She sank into the bath, allowing the water to envelope her entire body, and sat there for a moment before her thoughts ran rampant through her head.

She was slightly worried and concerned about Kenshin.

Well, truth be told, that was an understatement. More like she was extremely worried and concerned about the smiling rurouni, but she carefully hid her feelings behind the mask of a smile. Of course, she did show her concern and worry despite the mask, but not the full extent of her emotions. Most of her emotions were locked deeply within her heart, while only an eighth of them showed. The only emotion she left unguarded was happiness, the smile that she wore so as to reassure Kenshin that she wasn't too distressed, too tense.

She carefully began to spread the lather across her body and into her hair, causing the whole bath house to smell of a sweet jasmine scent. However, as she ran her fingers through her hair, she delved into her thoughts yet again.

So much had happened since Kenshin had arrived in her life, so many events had occurred, so many nights Kaoru had spent awake, wondering if tomorrow would be the day Kenshin would face harm yet again. After both the Hiruma brother incidents, she knew that no matter how hard she wished, Kenshin would continue to counter enemies he didn't wish to fight. There was Jineh, who had frightened her deeply, not because of his deadly attack, but because he had come so close to reverting Kenshin back to Battousai, something that deeply shook Kaoru. And after Jineh, there was Kanryuu…

And the Oniwabanshuu and their Okashira, Shinomori Aoshi.

Kaoru abruptly stopped moving, as she always did when her thoughts drifted to those men. She had not witnessed the final battles like Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke had, but all three of them had provided her with a detailed account of what had happened, with Megumi chipping in once in a while, during the two days Megumi had stayed at the dojo before leaving with Dr. Gensai. While Kaoru wasn't entirely happy with Megumi constantly flirting with Kenshin, she was thankful that the experienced doctor had tended to their wounds.

And for some reason, truth be told, although Megumi had been flirting constantly, and although it would have been completely natural for Kaoru to lose her temper all the time, she had remained rather calm during Megumi's two-day stay. Perhaps because her mind was too occupied with other thoughts, thoughts about the Oniwabanshuu and their leader.

Kaoru had not been there. She had not seen the violent deaths. She had not seen the leader's anguish. She had not smelled and tasted the blood that hung in the air, spread across the wooden floors, and clung to the walls. However, that morning, after Kenshin and Megumi had both eaten and had then joined Sanosuke and Yahiko in slumber, Kaoru found herself deep in thought about the whole incident.

_They had failed in defeating Kenshin, they had failed to survive against the Gatling gun that Kanryuu had unleashed against them, but they protected their leader…_

_And their leader…he had never abandoned his men, had entered such a dirty task simply to ensure that his men were employed rather than discarded like useless tools…how had he felt, standing there, staring at the corpses of his men…_

_Yahiko and Sanosuke said they were enemies, Megumi said they were her captors, and Kenshin fought them, but the truth is…_

_They are admirable men…_

Kaoru found herself rushing through the bath suddenly, and hurriedly patted herself dry before blindly throwing on the first kimono she could get her hands on. She grabbed a matching ribbon and tied her hair up in her typical high ponytail, and then quickly surveyed the dojo.

_I sent Kenshin for tofu, Yahiko's at the Akabeko, working, Megumi's busy with her patients at the clinic, and that mooching rooster isn't here, so no one will miss me if I leave for a few minutes!_

Kaoru carefully removed a small bundle from underneath her futon and lifted a small bucket of fresh flowers before shutting the shoji door to her room and slipping out of the dojo, desperately hoping that Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke wouldn't return before she did. She purposefully walked towards the small lake shrouded by trees, a romantic spot that she was one day hoping to steer Kenshin towards. She had actually spent her childhood days at the lake, patiently waiting for fireflies to arrive at night so that she could chase the brightly lit insects around the lake. Now a days, she used her childhood abode as a place to sort through her thoughts, but she had never really brought her friends here.

Kaoru carefully kneeled in front of one of the trees that towered over the lake and opened the small bundle. In it lay a rather unusual array of objects that she set aside for the time being. She busied herself in digging four small holes with her bare hands. Once she had finished her small task, she turned once again to the small bundle she had unwrapped. On that piece of cloth lay Beshimi's poison dart, which Kaoru carefully handled, not wanting to explain to Megumi why she was keeping the dart if she was accidentally poisoned. There was also a small piece of charred wood that Kaoru had saved from when Hyottoko had barged into the dojo and had proceeded to burn everything with his fire.

_Perhaps he should be slightly thankful about his death…had he been alive, I would have tracked him down and forced him to pay to repair the dojo!_

The other two items that sat on the piece of cloth had been harder to salvage. Kaoru had had to leave the dojo and sneak into Kanryuu's mansion to retrieve the other two items. There was a piece of a shattered metal ball, which she assumed was the one Sanosuke had shattered when he was fighting Shikijou. There was also a small piece of a chalk-white mask, and she had made another assumption that the piece belonged to Hanya's mask. She had never told Kenshin about these tiny items she had retrieved; she didn't need him worrying about her anymore then he already did.

She dropped one object into each of the holes and then covered all four holes with the dirt she had scraped out. She carefully laid a flower on each tiny mound and then stood up, brushing the dirt off her kimono as she examined her work with satisfaction.

_Small funeral mounds...at least I can pay my respects to these men…_

_After all, while they were protecting their leader, they also protected Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke. And their leader, Shinomori Aoshi – even though he tried to kill Kenshin, he still offered Megumi-san a way to escape her terrible fate…and for that, I am in their debt._

_They were admirable men…they deserved more…My small respects are not enough, but that is all I can do for them…they deserve much more…_

Kaoru glanced up at the sky and noted that the sun was beginning to set, and realized with a start that Kenshin and Yahiko would be returning to the dojo quite soon.

_It's becoming dark…I should head to the dojo…_

Kaoru tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears and suddenly gasped. On her pinky finger sat a tiny firefly, glowing in the shade of the tree. As she stared at the bright insect, she suddenly remembered a little story her mother told her a year before she died, when Kaoru was only five.

**"Kaoru-chan, you see this firefly? Once upon a time, a little girl managed to catch a firefly. As she cupped it gently in her hands, she made a wish – she wished for someone to love her – and then she released the insect. She was a homeless girl, with no family, and no relatives, so she desperately hoped that her wish would come true.**

**Many years later, a man arrived at the home she was working in. She was carefully cleaning the home, since she was now a maid, but the man took one look at her, and fell deeply in love with the girl. He asked for her hand in marriage, and she gladly accepted, thrilled that her wish came true.**

**Kaoru-chan, why don't you make a wish on a firefly? I'm sure it will come true!"**

Kaoru smiled sadly at the fond memory and carefully turned her hand so that the firefly could crawl into her palm. As soon as it had settled there, she cupped it with both of her hand hands and kneeled in front of the four tiny mounds again.

_If this myth or story is true, then please, grant me this wish…_

_I wish for the Oniwabanshuu to find peace in death…and I wish that their leader could find peace as well, because a man who is that loyal towards his followers, a man who has suffered so much…he deserves peace and happiness as well_

She released the firefly, and it lazily flew around the four tiny mounds before floating away with the wind. She smiled for a moment, and then immediately ran towards the dojo, anxiously hoping that Kenshin and Yahiko had not arrived yet.

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Kaoru had not been the only person standing in front of funeral mounds that day.

Deep within the forests, where no one dared to venture alone, there were four other funeral mounds. They were marked by four upright stones entrenched into the fresh soil. Unlike Kaoru's simple funeral mounds, there were not mere objects, but actual flesh underneath the freshly dug earth.

However, there were no bodies in those graves. There were only heads.

After all, that was all that Shinomori Aoshi could salvage before his escape from Kanryuu's mansion. The heads of his men were all he could carry in his bare hands. Thanks to his wounds, the extra weight had been rather unbearable to carry.

Or maybe the load had been unbearable because of the weight of his faithful men's souls in his heart.

Aoshi kneeled in front of the four graves, his heart heavy with regret, but his eyes were pure ice. The death of his men had melted the ice as rage had burned throughout his entire being. The ice had leaked from his eyes as one by one, his men had fallen to the floor, dying with smiles on their faces as they protected him, using their own lives as shields.

**"Whoa, hey, don't you start squirting now. I got no complaints. Look at these muscles…what else could I want? Not even bullets can…get through to…showed him…"**

_Shikijou…_

**"Better not shoot…not unless you want this oil bag to go up in a fireball!"**

**"Heh, heh. You fell for it."**

_Hyottoko…_

**"Aoshi found this wolf – and rescued him! He trained me into a first-class onmitsu! He gave me the Edo Castle Oniwabanshuu – my comrades – and me a reason to live!"**

_Hanya…_

**"O-Okashira. We…we couldn't do it…They called us useless, said we had but one trick…but you kept us in the Oniwabanshuu, and so to you…to the Okashira…we give our lives…I'm sorry…for being…in the end…so use…less…"**

_NO!_

Aoshi let out a strangled cry and covered his ears with his hands, desperately trying to block out Beshimi's last words, trying to block out the sounds of his men's blood splattering on the floor, their dead bodies slumping towards the ground, their last breaths.

_No, no, no! You were not useless! Don't you dare say you men were useless!_

_You showed me your loyalty, studied under my command, accompanied me to Kanryuu's mansion, sacrificed your lives to save me…_

_And I could not even bring the title of 'strongest' to your graves…I could not even offer you a parting gift…_

_All of your life, you have faced disappointment by following your leader. We lost our chance to display our skills at Edo Castle, I couldn't find you employment anywhere else, I led you to this dead-end job that Kanryuu offered…_

_I made you face the Gatling gun…_

_And still, still, you men received no glory!_

_You were not useless! I will prove to this world that you were not useless!_

_I will decorate your graves, not with flowers, but with the title of 'strongest'!_

Aoshi pulled himself to his feet, his wounds aching as he stood in front of the four graves, his trench coat dirty, torn, and tattered, his face and clothes smudged with blood and dirt.

But he was not tired. He was not weary. He stood strong in front of the graves, ignoring the jolts of pain that ran up his legs. The ice that had melted as he watched his men hit the floor one by one had remained continued to leak from his eyes as rage consumed his entire being, but now, once again, his eyes had hardened into ice.

Because now he had a purpose.

Now he had a reason to live, and he was determined to accomplish the task that lay ahead of him.

Beams of sunlight cut through the dense thicket and shone upon the four graves, illuminating the stones with a bright light. Aoshi stared at the graves that held the heads of his men, his faithful followers, and made his vow.

"For now…I can offer you no glory. But one day…**I will**."

He heard the sudden crack of twigs being crushed underneath feet. However, he sensed no reason to turn around. The person behind him had a harmless aura, although his interruption of Aoshi's thoughts was rather annoying.

"Hey, what are you doing…alone deep in the mountains?"

The traveler's question rang out through the silence, but Aoshi did not bother to responds to the concerned traveler. He didn't even turn to meet the traveler's eyes. Instead, he let his feet lead him deeper into the forest, deeper into the mountains…

After all, he needed a secluded area to train in. He couldn't allow any interruptions anymore.

_I'm powerful now…but Battousai beat me. I need more strength, more power, more training…_

"Hey, don't go that way! Even the locals don't go there, not even swordsmen or martial artists in training do that!" cried out the traveler in shock, desperately trying to warn Aoshi of the danger he was stepping into.

_I shall defeat the Battousai…_

"Hey, do you hear me?"

_I shall lay the title of the strongest on your graves…_

"Hey!"

_You shall not bathe in the beams of sunlight, but in glory…_

_That is my vow to you, my faithful men…Beshimi…Hyottoko…Shikijou…Hanya…_

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**Did you enjoy it?**

**Then please review! Ciao for now!**


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